Updates From the Field

A Nevada Conservation Corps crew recently completed a series of resource protection and visitor enhancement projects at Bird Creek Campground and within the Current-Ellison Watershed Restoration Project area of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Work included reconstruction of boundary fences around the campground and within the Current-Ellison Watershed Restoration Project area. The crew was able to replace nearly 4000 ft. of the…

Nevada is riddled with abandoned mines that can prove to be extremely dangerous, and these are the subject of an ongoing effort by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM). Of some 200,000 abandoned mines in the state, it has been estimated that a full quarter (50,000) are potentially hazardous to the public. Mines are…

In 2010, the Great Basin Institute collaborated with the Challis Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to develop the Lombard Trail, connecting Challis, Idaho to Bayhorse Ghost Town, a mining site founded in 1877. The trail was created specifically for recreational use by ATV and side-by-side riders, and has been…

Quagga and zebra mussels are invasive species that pose a risk to Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs. Although they can cause millions of dollars in structural and environmental damage, researchers have, alas, not yet developed a method of eradicating the species. Consequently, the key to control is early detection of the mussels. Water samples are collected at the reservoirs then sent…

Since 2014, GBI AmeriCorps interns have worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex to manage the California Condor Recovery Program in Southern California. This work involves monitoring nests and tracking newly fledged chicks, as well as trap and release activities to assess the health of these majestic but critically endangered birds. California Condors…

Wildfire in the Great Basin continues to proliferate, and GBI continues its efforts to reduce risks throughout the region. In Idaho, working alongside the BLM Boise District Office, GBI Research Associates have worked to promote and implement Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ESR) projects. Intense fires destroy native fauna, as well as the seed bank stored in the soil, which provides…

GBI recently brought on textile conservation specialist Heather Hodges to conduct some rather specialized work at Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park: research, documentation, examination and treatment of two tapestries and one textile. A red velvet textile hanging with floral cross-stitch embroidered appliques overall, a silk and metallic trim around all edges, and metallic fringe along the bottom edge….

A lithograph from Mount Trumbull created during John Wesley Powell’s 1882 expedition provided an unusual adventure for GBI Research Associates. Todd Miller and Julianne Renner, working with the National Park Service, undertook the long, steep hike to the top of Mount Trumbull in order to generate photographic recreations of the lithograph. More than just an exercise in historical reenactment, comparisons…

Great Basin Institute continues to support the BLM Washington in monitoring, surveying and supporting fire restoration efforts. Below is an AP article (8 August 2017) that captures recent fire activity this season Such fire disturbances engage the institute and the BLM in planning efforts to understand impacts to vegetative communities and subsequent attempts to stabilize soil, mitigate erosion, and model…